After helping hundreds of broadband providers and similar services launch their streaming subscription marketplaces, technology firm MyBundle is broadening its approach to the bundle and subscription economy.
Starting today — April 1, circle the date on your calendar — MyBundle is introducing a new service offering called “MyBroaderBundle,” the outcome of an executive brainstorming session to see how it can super-serve businesses and consumers who have embraced the subscription economy over the past few years.
“At MyBundle, we’ve focused on streaming and broadband, but now it’s time for more,” Jason Cohen, the CEO of MyBundle, wrote in a social media post. “While the obvious next steps might be music, mobile, gaming, or fitness apps, we thought, why stop there?”
Consumer interest in differentiated types of bundles is present in the marketplace, with 69 percent of consumers in the U.S. wanting the ability to pay for multiple subscriptions via a single bill and 45 percent craving a way to calculate the best deals and prices across various platforms, according to data released by Bango in its “Subscription Wars” survey last year.
Some customers have even expressed a willingness to pay more for a specific service, like wireless phone or broadband Internet, if it means they can tack on added services like streaming, music and gaming and pay for them through a single bill.
Cohen must have seen dollar signs when he read that report. But, rather than focus on the obvious — connected entertainment — MyBundle has decided to go in a different direction.
Through MyBroaderBundle, customers can choose from nearly 130 novel and niche product offerings, including newspaper recycling (you bundle your back issues and MyBroaderBundle coordinates with a service provider to haul them away) and firewood (“any variety, any amount,” the company promises).
One of the more-unique products offered is the “Bundle of Joy,” which promises baby photos, collectible mugs and monogrammed onesies that “celebrate your little bundle,” but stops short of actually promising that a customer’s newborn or infant will actually be represented in the products sold. An image for the bundle that accompanied certain marketing material reviewed by The Desk turned out to be a stock photo, raising some questions about the company’s ability to deliver on the promises of that specific product. (The Desk attempted to reach out to MyBroaderBundle, but it isn’t clear who is running public relations for the company.)
MyBroaderBundle tested its product offerings by reaching out to a handful of existing clients served by some of its other platforms, a source familiar with the matter said. Customers who took advantage of the invitation while MyBroaderBundle was in stealth mode were mostly pleased with the speed, efficiency and quality of the service, the sources said.
Testimonials on the MyBroaderBundle website appeared to support this, with “Busy Mom” Sarah Johnson saying she “save(d) a whole 30 seconds a week!” by having the company take care of her newspaper bundles, which were piling up.
“Their premium firewood bundle arrived perfectly stacked and tied,” Mark Thompson, an outdoor enthusiast, wrote in another testimonial. “It’s revolutionized my camping experience. Why stack wood yourself when it can come pre-bundled?”
The “Bundle of Joy” received the lowest rating — just four out of five stars — but “new parent” Jennifer Lee seemed pleased with the offering nonetheless, saying it was “exactly what we needed.”
“Now our baby has professionally bundled onesies, and we have overpriced coffee mugs,” Lee said, perhaps tongue-in-cheek.
That said, MyBroaderBundle is not without some issues: None of the hyperlinks work on the website, and a fictitious phone number is listed as a point of contact, along with an address in the state of “BN.” (The Zip Code listed, 12345, resolves to Schenectady, New York.)
Additionally, the fine print on the MyBroaderBundle website denotes that “this is an April Fool’s parody site” and that it was “not affiliated with MyBundle,” raising further questions about the long-term viability of the startup.
